Pentagon On Syria: 'We Get Paid To Be Ready'

Sgt. Richard Blumenthal / CentCom.mil
At yesterday's Department of Defense (DoD) press conference, Captain John Kirby was very hesitant to tip the Pentagon's hand regarding any planning being done to implement a military response to the conflict in Syria, one which is rapidly downspiraling toward a civil war.

Still, he did give some insight into the readiness of the military for a possible action in Syria.

Kirby, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Media Operations, said that the Pentagon was committed to ensuring that options remain constantly available to the President when planning a response to that situation, one recently characterized by wholesale atrocities and open fighting.

"We get paid to be ready," he assured the press pool. He pointed out that the military "can be valuable" in many different types of situations and responses, "not all of which involve combat."

The Deputy Assistant Secretary — filling in for the usual DoD press staff which is touring the Pacific at the moment — stresses the capability of the military to respond to threats as the President feels they arrive.

Kirby also denied the suggestion that a recent large military exercise in Jordan — Eager Lion — was intended to be something akin to a Syria dry-run. He denied the idea that that exercise was conducted to prepare for a fight against any "specific country." Jordan shares a 230 mile border with Syria.